Some say, in regards to life, that the sweet is never as sweet without the sour. That helps explains why the Clippers' 106-103 win Wednesday against Houston was like a barrel of sugar for guard Mo Williams . No, it had little to do with Williams, newly acquired by the Clippers in a trade from Cleveland, winning and playing well (17 points, 11 assists) in his home debut at Staples Center. That was just the icing. It was winning in general that took the cake, because Williams hasn't had much of that this season, given the Cavaliers' NBA-record 26-game losing streak, which ended against the Clippers last month.

Reporting From Toronto Humbling ? or a blaring wake-up call? Blake Griffin , given the menu choices, went with all of the above on Saturday, less than 24 hours after the Clippers made national news by losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Not only did the Clippers become the first team to lose to the Cavaliers in nearly two months ? Cleveland had lost 26 in a row ? but they gave up a mind-boggling 126 points, a season high for the Cavaliers. "Both of those ? humbling loss, a wake-up call," said Griffin, who had 32 points and 13 rebounds.

Lakers tonight vs. Cleveland When: 7:30. Where: Staples Center. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 710, 1330. Records: Lakers 27-11, Cavaliers 8-29. Record vs. Cavaliers (2009-10): 0-2. Update: A marquee matchup last season is no longer the same this time. The Cavaliers have lost 20 of their last 21 games and haven't recovered since Miami forward LeBron James thumped his former team, 118-90, in early December. Forward Antawn Jamison is the Cavaliers' leading scorer, averaging 16.4 points a game.

In an interview with GQ magazine, LeBron James said the highly critical letter written by Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert the night James announced his decision to sign with the Heat will give him "a lot of motivation" when Miami plays Cleveland. Of Gilbert, James said: "I don't think he ever cared about LeBron. My mother always told me: You will see the light of people when they hit adversity. You'll get a good sense of their character. Me and my family have seen the character of that man. " James also told the magazine that growing up in Akron, about 40 miles outside of Cleveland, he and his friends didn't like people from the bigger city.

LeBron James and the lifeless Cleveland Cavaliers picked a strange time to rekindle memories of the Cadavaliers.… Shaquille O'Neal , trying to reassure a reeling fan base, told reporters afterward, "I've been in this situation before." … The last time was in 2003, when he and the Lakers trailed the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals, 3-2, and lost Game 6 at Staples Center by 28 points.… This time, he's on the road.… Lakers fans rarely (never?

LeBron James won his second consecutive NBA most-valuable-player award Sunday, dominating the voting just as he dominated on court all season. The Cleveland Cavaliers star received 116 of 123 first-place votes, winning in a landslide over Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant . Durant was picked first on four ballots and Orlando center Dwight Howard , who finished fourth, received the other three first-place votes. Lakers star Kobe Bryant had no first-place votes and finished third.

at Cleveland 124, New York 93: LeBron James had 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and the Cavaliers used a 74-point first half to hammer the Knicks. Dallas 89, at Charlotte 84: Dirk Nowitzki scored 27 points, Jason Terry had several key buckets down the stretch, and the surging Mavericks won their eighth straight to spoil the Bobcats' first game since Michael Jordan agreed to buy the team. Orlando 126, at Philadelphia 105: Jameer Nelson had 22 points and 10 assists, and the Magic beat the 76ers.

If it's Christmas, the Lakers can plan on two things -- they'll be playing in a game and it will be hyped beyond belief. A glance at the NBA calendar shows them being busy Dec. 25, yet again, but a pregame cloud of commotion hadn't encircled them a few hours before Christmas Eve. The Lakers were creating their own firestorm a year ago, eagerly awaiting the Boston Celtics and the team-record 19-game winning streak that belonged to the very...

LeBron James had 34 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Cleveland Cavaliers held the Sacramento Kings scoreless in overtime to pick up a 117-104 win Wednesday night. Zydrunas Ilgauskas made three three-point shots in the extra session and finished with 25 points as the Cavaliers beat the Kings for the seventh straight time. Cleveland, which has won seven of eight, outscored Sacramento, 13-0, in overtime. Mo Williams returned from a bruised knee to score 21 of his 27 points after halftime for the Cavaliers.

Aaron Brooks scored 27 points, Trevor Ariza scored 26 and the Houston Rockets held LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to one of their worst offensive performances of the season in a 95-85 win Wednesday night. James scored 27 points but was only eight for 21 from the field. No other starter reached double figures for the Cavaliers, who matched their season-low points total. They outrebounded Houston, 47-37, but committed 20 turnovers and mustered only 19 points in each of the first and third quarters.